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KateB

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About KateB

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  • Interested in learning about
    Sewing baby shoes
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  1. Benlilly1- thank you! working on it ;-) camano ridge- thanks. just not even sure where to have them custom made. there is an etsy shop that is advertising them but I'm a bit put off by the description of "a bit of rust." https://www.etsy.com/listing/194581896/5mm-star-hole-punch-leather-hole?ref=shop_home_active_1&ga_search_query=star%2Bpunch
  2. Hello, I've recently begun working with leather and am interested in finding small leather punches (1/8" diameter) with various shapes. I'm specifically looking for star shapes. I found a set online at Tandy but they're too large. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/search/searchresults/3006-00.aspx Attaching an image of the moccasins i made with plain punches (please don't look too closely, the decorations are freehanded as i was just practicing with the rotary punch). The design I'm planning will have a combination of punched and stamped stars, so a recommendation for stamps would be really appreciated too (I know they also have these at Tandy). Thank you! K
  3. KateB

    Leather Bear Series

    oh my god, so adorable. a true artist!!
  4. KateB

    Leather Bear Series

    Oh, I adore this!! And the photography is wonderful xx
  5. Thanks David. I'm not certain yet. A bit of both, I suppose. I'd like to be able to draw on some designs, like with a fountain pen (wonder if I can use the Angelus refillable dye pen for pigments or watered down acrylic). But I'm mostly going for a water coloured or "batik" appearance. The order is scheduled for delivery next Thursday but I won't have the veg tanned leather for a while. Not sure it's even worth trying to experiment with the leather I have right now. I'm actually fascinated with the idea of using indigo but the dharma rep made that sound like a very complicated process.
  6. Hi, thanks so much for the replies! I actually spoke again with another representative from Dharma and they suggested that the pigments would not adhere to the leather. I did end up ordering a couple of colours from the procion and pigment dyes but also purchased some Angelus leather paint (acrylic based). I'm still hoping to find an alternative to acrylic but I'll update with my findings. thank you both!
  7. I'm trying to find a non-toxic pigment/ dye to paint designs on veg tanned leather and suede for making baby moccasins. I know "natural" is not always least toxic but it's a place to start. I've spoken to dharma trading and they recommended trying this non toxic pigment dye, even though it is meant for fabric not leather. http://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/dharma-pigment-dye.html I have these romantic notions of watercolouring the leather using reduced indigo but I don't know how practical that is. http://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/pre-reduced-indigo-crystals.html Also found this pigment from dharma but it has to be mixed with soda ash (is that just baking soda?) but it says you can use it on leather http://www.dharmatrading.com/dyes/dharma-fiber-reactive-procion-dyes.html?lnav=paints.html#reviews Would love your thoughts or recommendations! I haven't got the leather yet for experimenting. Thank you. Kate
  8. Thank you both! I was able to find some msds but I was only able to open 5 for free on the other site; so this is a great resource. Yes, the ingredients list is quite non-descript. Acrylic polymers, copolymers and colorants. Hmmm. Thanks for the advice, cem. Yes, you're very right about natural not always equating with safe. the whole business is making me quite nervous!
  9. For anyone interested. I contacted Angelus Direct (they don't have a phone number but chatted online) and they do not divulge the ingredients in their paints and dyes. I understand about keeping the formula secret but at the same time, I don't like taking their word for it that the paint is non-toxic.The leather paint is water based and labelled non-toxic. The suede dye though is alcohol based. The paint can be thinned. I'd still rather used a powdered natural pigment I can mix with water, if anyone has ideas.
  10. Thank you, DavidL. I'm still trying to figure out the ingredients. Will have to call the company. I'll update here if I find anything.
  11. Hi, I've asked this question in the paints/ dyes forum but haven't had any luck. I'm interested in painting designs on veg tanned leather for use in making baby moccasins. I haven't ordered the leather yet and so have not been able to experiment with dye or paint options. The dye would have to withstand the elements (outdoor shoe) but most importantly it needs to be non-toxic, should it end up in baby's mouth. Some dyes/ pigments I've been thinking about - henna, annatto, indigo, walnut, pecan, beats. Has anyone had experience using these, or similar? I'm especially keen on the idea of using indigo. Since I'm using veg tanned leather, does this mean it would not have to be heat set? Any suggestions for oil to use? Obviously, I still have a lot to learn about leather. I haven't seen any walnut dye available commercially; only recipes for making it yourself. I'd love to be able to find something in powder form- just add water. Perhaps I am totally naive about how involved the process will be- hoping to just paint it on with a brush like water colour. Angelus leather dye and paint seems to be quite commonly used (I love that you can use it in a refillable pen). I can't find any information on the ingredients though. Would love some advice.This is the leather I'm using (I assume it's unsealed) http://www.vegetable-tanned-leather.com/ecopell-kollektionen/ecopell-nappa and the suede http://www.vegetable-tanned-leather.com/ecopell-kollektionen/ecopell-velour and a pic of my moccasins (chrome tanned) Thank you!
  12. I've just begun sewing baby shoes and moccasins and I would like to draw/ paint designs on the leather and suede. I'm going to be using a special veg tanned leather that uses only vegetable sources and low impact dyes, so I don't want to compromise the low toxicity by using an "unideal" medium for painting the designs. I'm mainly interested in black, brown and pink. I see that Angelus makes a suede dye that can be applied with refillable markers. I have 2 concerns though. 1) is this the least toxic option, since babies put their shoes in their mouths and 2) I've read that the black dye from Angelus appears purple. Would love your input! Thank you
  13. Hello there, this is my first post. I did try to find another thread on this topic but was not successful (so forgive me if this question is repeated elsewhere). I've just begun sewing baby moccasins on my home sewing machine (I do hope to upgrade to an industrial one eventually). I'm working with regular cowhide at the moment (still practicing) but plan to upgrade to ecopell veg tanned leather soon. My question is that I'm not sure what thread to use. For my practice moccasins, I've been using regular cotton (#40) thread but i know plain cotton will not last on leather. The leather is around 1 1/2 mm (1/16") but will mostly be sewn double thickness and occasionally triple (at the ends). Most of the advice I've read for home machine sewing indicates #69 polyester thread. I hate to use polyester with a high end leather but I do want to use the correct thread for the application. So should i use #69 polyester? Are there advantages over nylon or rayon? Thank you! Kate.
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